by Carol Rocamora “I know how it is in America.” We’re hearing that line a lot on our stages this season. It’s coming from a multiplicity of voices—black, Hispanic, Muslim, Native American, LGBTQ—as they search for a place in our culture. They sometimes...

by Maya Werner Thursday night marked the opening of The Nap on Broadway. Maya Werner from Theater Pizzazz was on the scene to capture the who’s who of attendees on Opening Night. The show is written by Richard Bean and directed by Dan Sullivan. The show stars Alexandra Billings,...

by Carol Rocamora There’s a high-stakes game of “snooker” going on in The Nap, the hilarious new comedy on Broadway. And if you can stop laughing long enough, you’ll be on the edge of your seat. Richard Bean, arguably one of the funniest writers alive, introduces us to the...

By Sandi Durell Richard Bean, playwright (One Man, Two Guvnors) wasn’t sure he wanted to actually write this one but, with enough nudging, he came up with a roadmap that is most unique involving snooker . . . the British version of pool and called it ‘The Nap.’ The cast met with...

By: Sandi Durell It’s the era of pitting haves and have-nots in recent off Broadway theater – who can get into college, who has the money, do grades really matter . . . take a look at Admissions and Transfer, as examples. So playwright Anthony Giardina (The City of...

by Carol Rocamora It’s been a season of strong women against great odds– from Albee’s aging matriarch in Three Tall Women to Medoff’s deaf protagonist in Children of a Lesser God to desperate Yerma fighting sterility at the Park Armory. And now we have a heroine...

By Marilyn Lester Singer/songwriter/guitarist and playwright Benjamin Scheuer is saying hello to the new and farewell to the old with a particular joy and appreciation. Scheuer has just released a 7-inch limited edition vinyl single featuring two tracks, “Hello Jemima”...

by Carol Rocamora She’s back! Eve Ensler – playwright, performer, activist, force-of-nature – returns to the New York stages with a one-woman show that blows through the Manhattan Theatre Club like a tsunami. And what a wondrous storm it is! Who can forget The Vagina...

by Carol Rocamora An apocalyptic vision, infused with hope? Hard to imagine – that is, until you see The Children, Lucy Kirkwood’s astonishing new play at the Manhattan Theatre Club. From the moment the play opens – with the ominous image of a woman standing in a...

By Brian Scott Lipton Barring a quickly written biodrama about Harvey Weinstein or Kevin Spacey, there will be no more topical play on stage this month than Actually, Anna Ziegler’s bracing two-hander about date rape on a college campus. Or make that possible date rape....

Direct from an acclaimed run in London, the powerful Royal Court Theatre production of Lucy Kirkwood’s astonishing new play will make its American debut at MTC (Manhattan Theatre Club) with the heralded original cast. In a remote cottage on the lonely British coast, a...

By Sandi Durell It’s a battle of the sexes in John Patrick Shanley’s (Pulitzer Prize Doubt/Oscar Moonstruck) latest comedy about love, which he also directed at Manhattan Theater Club. The comedy is based somewhere on the Greek story of the Princess Atalanta who promises...

By Sandi Durell Expect the unexpected in Martyna Majok’s play at Manhattan Theatre Club. It’s a play about everyday and extraordinary people who are hurting, lost and lonely as we peer into their lives of what could be two separate plays within the same...

by Michael Bracken A family that preys together…. never stops preying. At least not if the family in question is the clawingly, cloyingly, claustrophobically close-knit Hubbard clan of The Little Foxes, Lillian Hellman’s paean to avarice thicker than blood, currently...

by Carol Rocamora A shiver went through me, watching the title character of Penelope Skinner’s Linda giving a lecture to the audience. I thought the ghost of Heidi had passed over us. You know who I mean, don’t you? I’m referring to the protagonist of Wendy Wasserstein’s...

by Michel Bracken Remember leisure suits? Consider yourself lucky if you don’t, but either way don’t let that stop you from catching the sterling revival of August Wilson’s Jitney, produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club, at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. ...

By Sandi Durell Vietgone moves into newer territory for the usually staid pieces seen at Manhattan Theatre Club, bringing this story of love and a fictionalized tale of playwright Qui Nguyen’s parents’ meeting at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas military base in this...

by Brian Scott Lipton Sarah Jones’ chameleonic ability to switch personae and accents on a dime—a skill which makes her good pal Meryl Streep look like a mere talent-show contestant—first came to many people’s attention over a decade ago with her...

By Sandi Durell I do believe that playwright Simon Stephens (recently of the Tony winning Curious Incident of the Dog…) was cleverly setting up his audiences with the title of this talkie 80 minute two-hander. I even quickly brushed up on my scientific reading...

by Brian Scott Lipton “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” That quote by Albert Einstein shows up in Nick Payne’s fascinating, dense new 85-minute work Incognito at Manhattan Theatre Club. But I doubt the characters—who include some of Einstein’s...

By Sandi Durell One of theater’s most lauded playwrights, John Patrick Shanley (Doubt), puts forth his own life in Prodigal Son (as author and director), along with 11 of his plays that will be produced by Manhattan Theatre Club. Is Prodigal Son...

by Brian Scott Lipton Here’s a piece of invaluable advice for all playwrights. If you’re going to write a juicy part for a mother, to be played by a woman of a certain age—no matter how cold, self-absorbed or delusional that character is—make sure you cast Linda Lavin. Luckily for...

By: Sandi Durell Talk about mismatched roommates! David Lindsay-Abaire’s Ripcord, has set into motion the female counterparts of Felix and Oscar in this sitcom featuring two old biddies living at the Bristol Place Assisted Living Facility. Meet Abby...